Table 104: My First Meal EVER on Long Ridge Road

The Hour recently ran an articlethat highlighted the restaurants in what seems to be a forgotten area of Stamford, CT. That area? Long Ridge Road. I’ve passed by it on the Merritt Parkway many times and have only really been on the road when coming back from parts of Westchester County when I wanted to avoid highways at all costs.

When an invite to dine at Table 104 came up, I accepted but was skeptical just based on the fact that I’ve never dined in that part of Stamford. It’s quite easy for one to get caught up in the food scene of the more bustling areas, the downtowns, places with more lights, but I know there are gems to be found anywhere and everywhere if you just give it a chance.

Homemade focaccia

I gave Table 104 a chance, along with a bunch of blogger buddies, for Sunday brunch after a long (but fun) Saturday night. Remember this kids, brunch cures all, so I did what you’re obligated to do before brunch foods hit the table and ordered up a Bellini. (Side note: bottomless Bellinis and Mimosas can be had for $14).

The brunch menu at Table 104 is simple stuff, and I don’t mean that in a bad way at all, by simple I mean “straightforward” and not overcomplicated and that’s a credit to Chef Domenico Iovieno. Even if you’re on the fence about anything on the menu, Walter Cappelli, Table 104’s manager, is happy to help out. Walter can also drop a ton of knowledge on you about wine (he was in the wine wholesale business) so feel free to pick his brain and have him suggest some good vino from the restaurant’s solid wine list to go with your meal.

The pizza oven gets in excess of 800°

So what was good? Out of the 10 courses plus desserts, they were all rave-worthy, but rather than put you through a novel, I’ll toss some highlights your way.

Italian classic: Meatballs

Walter: Also an Italian classic. Here he is describing some vino.

Aranini. Bolognese. Yes.

Table 104 started us off with a few classic dishes and that’s how every Italian meal should begin. The meatballs (beef, pork, chicken) could have used a touch more seasoning but they were good nonetheless and tender too. I got psyched up when we were told that rather than the use of breadcrumbs in the meat mixture, they use bread soaked milk. If you grew up in an Italian household you know that’s as old school as it gets, and it earns points for awesomeness. The arancini were some of the best I’ve had in the area; stuffed with mozzarella, saffron seasoned rice, and served with an incredible Bolognese sauce that I couldn’t stop scooping up with my fork. I was thrilled to get more than one helping of each of these Italian staples.

Next up was what I like to call “the egg portion of brunch.” The rule of thumb to turn anything into brunch food is “put an egg on it.” All three dishes here were extremely successful. The Buffalo Crostino (melted mozzarella, fried egg, smoked paprika) was a great take on an open-faced breakfast sandwich with nice heat from the paprika, creamy mozzarella and a runny egg that always makes everything taste good. The Pizza All’Uovo (salsa verde, bacon, egg) was a welcomed breakfast pie that was a bit crispier than the Neapolitan style that we’re all used to but I like crispy and it made me excited to try more of Table 104’s pizzas in the future. The final egg-centric item was the 104 Sausage Egg, a much improved version of any Scotch egg anywhere. This elevated Scotch Italian egg leaves the egg runny and it’s surrounded in house-made sausage that’s well-seasoned and not overcooked, and the whole thing is crusted in Panko, deep fried and topped with Hollandaise. I’ll never be able to not order this.

Mike Lauterborn, you’ve made it on Food Dudes!

That’s the dish I caught Mike was taking a photo of.

Pancakes, please!

The entrées we were served were also a hit, from a tender octopus & potatoes dish, to a perfectly cooked and tender flat iron steak (smoked chorizo chimichurri, warm potato salad), but by favorite was a pancake. Yeah, you heard that right, a pancake. Table 104 serves a delightfully light, super fluffy lemon ricotta pancake with Canadian maple syrup, bacon (always a winner), and whipped mascarpone. I was full and kept going back for another bite. I want this again, for brunch, and for dessert. I’m categorizing it as the best pancake I’ve had in a very long time.

Gelato.

dee Cuisine’s cute kid about to dig in!

More gelato.

More child. Gelato = Happy Child.

Yeah, we went and posted this legit dessert porn.

It’s as good as it looks.

We finished up this mega meal with lighter desserts that included homemade gelato, a very good and boozy tiramisu, and yuzu sorbet with Luxardo cherry syrup. I’m a sucker for cold, creamy sweets so I chowed down on the gelatos and there’s a video of me somewhere just devouring the yuzu sorbet. I think I ate 1.5+ servings of that refreshing frozen treat.

If you go for brunch, all those items are available solo but you’d be crazy not to take advantage of Table 104’s three course prix fixed brunch for $19! That’s a deal that’ll surely get me to come back, but before I return for brunch, I must visit for dinner.